Ficlets (untitled)
by TJ Dragonblade
Summary: Two ficlets written for a friend's birthday. Roughly 300 words of Shikamaru trying not to think too much and a little over 600 words of mistletoe-induced KankuSai interest. M/M; ChouShika and KankuSai.
1. ChouShika

When it finally happened, Shikamaru was unsurprised.

He made a habit of being observant, and he'd been aware of a shift in Chouji's demeanor toward him for awhile. He'd thought about it quite a lot himself - he couldn't say he didn't also feel the pull of something greater than friendship between them - but there were other considerations that had so far kept him from doing anything about it.

"This is against the rules, y'know," he said, when Chouji pulled back from kissing him.

"Yeah." Chouji's expression crumpled a little in obvious disappointment, and Shikamaru could have kicked himself for letting that be the first thing out of his mouth. Especially when those rules forbidding intra-team fraternization were almost never enforced these days and Team 10 hadn't exactly been an official team ever since Asuma died anyway. They functioned as a squad more often than not, because they worked well together, but all of them frequently ran missions in other team formations too.

None of which was anything he actually needed to be thinking about right now, not when Chouji looked ready to duck out and find someplace other than here to be. Sighing, Shikamaru shushed the constant voice of logic and analysis in the back of his head for just a moment and slid his arms close around Chouji's neck, tilted in and kissed his best friend with all the feelings that he technically wasn't supposed to be allowed to feel, because Chouji deserved at least that much.

"...Breaking the rules is troublesome, isn't it?" Chouji asked tentatively, when Shikamaru drew back.

Shikamaru quirked up one corner of his mouth. "Definitely. But maybe that just means it's worth it."

Chouji's answering grin was enough to convince him of the truth in his own words.


	2. KankuSai

When they crossed paths at the festival Kumo was holding to celebrate the end of the war, Sai greeted him with a bright smile and a firm kiss on the cheek.

Kankurou had drunk enough already to have a really nice buzz going, and he'd also gathered from their short time serving together that Sai's social skills were completely sideways, so he took it in stride better than he might have sober.

"You crazy Leaf people get weirder every time we meet," he said, shrugging a little awkwardly and rubbing abortively at the spot where he could still feel the warm press of Sai's lips.

It didn't really hurt that Sai was prettier than most of the girls he knew, either.

Sai's expression smoothed into something that looked like uncertainty, and he made a small indicative gesture in the direction of the awning roof overhead. "Do you not practice this custom in Suna?"

Kankurou glanced upward as prompted, blinking at the sprig of green hanging above them. "Th' fuck is that?"

"Mistletoe. I have learned this evening that any two people standing together beneath it are obligated to kiss."

"...Huh." Like he'd said. Weird. But kind of adorable, too, when coming from Sai.

Which was not a thought he expected, but there it was.

"Then Suna does not share this tradition," Sai concluded, and tilted his head slightly. His eyes held Kankurou's, assessing, and his expression shifted to something halfway between concern and curiosity. "Have I made you uncomfortable?"

Kankurou was unexpectedly struck by the depth of Sai's gaze, the alluring dark of his eyes and how big they looked in his pale, slender face. "Nah, not really." He shrugged again, a 'don't worry about it' gesture. "It's just a little strange, 's all."

"I agree." Sai's gaze flicked briefly around the crowded plaza. "I have kissed several people already. Everyone reacts differently, and only one person has been unpleasant so far, but it's becoming tedious. I will be careful of where I stand and with whom for the remainder of this festival, I think."

"Sounds like a smart plan," Kankurou agreed, grinning, because dammit, Sai was _cute_ when he got that slightly-confused little frown on his face.

Sai's expression had gone back to assessing, his eyes on Kankurou's again. "I was...pleased, however, when I noted that you were beneath the mistletoe. I thought kissing you might be...pleasant."

"Oh?" He wasn't sure if that meant Sai was into him or not. He didn't think Sai was sure, either, which - weirdly enough - made him just a tiny bit interested.

"Yes."

Kankurou looked Sai up and down, doing a little assessing of his own, and ended up a touch _more_ interested. He didn't think that was the alcohol talking, either.

Ah, what the hell.

"Well, then, how 'bout I kiss you properly before you decide if it's pleasant or not, huh?" He grinned, turning on all the flirty charm he could muster.

Sai blinked, a hint of surprise in the quirk of his eyebrows. "Alright."

Kankurou ducked in before he could think twice about it, slid a hand around the back of Sai's neck and kissed Sai square on the mouth.

Which, as it turned out, was a really, really _nice_ mouth.

It lasted a bit longer than he had meant it to, and he definitely hadn't planned on slipping Sai that little lick of tongue in parting. Maybe he was closer to drunk than he'd thought.

Sai tilted his head just a touch to the right, and his expression was thoughtful. "It's definitely pleasant."

Kankurou's gaze kept going back to Sai's lips, visibly damp and slightly parted and terribly..._inviting_. "So can I do it again?" Because he kind of really wanted to.

Sai smiled, brilliantly. "Yes."


End file.
